Ferdinand Porsche, creator of iconic 911 dies aged 76

By Will Wynn on April 8, 2012

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the original version of the iconic 911, died aged 76 on 5th April 2012 in Salzburg, Austria.

“As creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture that molds our sports cars still today,” Matthias Mueller, chief executive officer of Porsche AG, said “His philosophy of good design is for us a legacy that we will also honor in the future.”

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who created the original Volkswagen (VOW3) Beetle, designed the first 911 in 1962. He went on to develop race cars for the German automaker until leaving the Stuttgart-based company in 1972 with other family members when Porsche was transformed into a joint stock company.

The 911 remains the epitome of the Porsche brand, even as the car maker, which is jointly owned by the Porsche SE holding company and Volkswagen AG (VOW3), expands beyond sports cars.

“He was a very special man, and the company Porsche was his life and what he stood for,” said Guenther Molter, who co-authored his father Ferry Porsche’s autobiography. “He carried on the work of his father in his own way. He realized the Porsche 911, which was his idea.”

After leaving Porsche, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche founded the Porsche Design Studio, where he devoted himself to developing watches, eyeglasses, writing utensils and other design projects. He was a proponent of clear, austere lines.

His credo was “design must be functional and the functionality must be visually implemented without gags that need to be explained,” according to a Porsche statement.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche will be forever remembered amongst sports car and Porsche fans. The 911 is arguably the most successful sports car of all time, period.